Major upgrades on the way

The first bit of good news is that the phone will run Android Q with Samsung's One UI. There's nothing surprising about that, since the Korean company is banking on its new UI and Android Q will be in distribution when the S11 hits, but it’s good to know they are pushing forward.

The second item is that the S11’s codename is “Picasso." The reference to the genius Spanish painter that broke all molds may be an allegory to the core nature of the beast.

Which brings us to the best news: “The camera has a substantial upgrade.” This, of course, can mean anything. We can speculate that the phone will most probably have some optical zooming mechanism and more camera sensors to match or surpass rivals. But what we can be sure about is that the S11 will use Samsung’s Isocell Bright GW1 64-megapixel f1/1.72 sensor.

An example of the Samsung Isocell Bright GW1 64MP sensor in action.

(Image credit: Redmi)

The sensor is not just a megapixel count brag for the spec sheet. In theory, it will be a giant leap in image quality. According to the Seoul-based giant, the GW1 has a bigger area than its current sensor, maintaining the size of each pixel at 0.8 micrometers. This will greatly increase not only the resolution but the light sensitivity. Capable of producing 9,215 x 6,812-pixel images under normal lighting conditions, the GW1 can join four pixels into one to multiply its photosensitivity using Samsung’s tetracell technology and remosaic algorithm.

The photo war against Huawei and Sony is one that Samsung has been losing so far, so this “Picasso” codename and the new camera sensor are clear signs that the Korean company wants to beat its Chinese and Japanese rivals.

The bad news is also about cameras, though. Or better said, displays. Those of you who were hoping for an invisible selfie camera hidden under the display — like those shown by Oppo or Xiaomi — are out of luck. According to the Galactic Cat, we will see the camera, albeit the whole will be smaller than the one in the Galaxy Note 10 that will be released in August. Sad selfie face.